PHOTO JOURNALISM: WEST SIDE

Illustrators and newspaper photographers were active picturing people and living conditions on the West Side. For both editors whose job was to sell papers and readers wishing to remain at a safe distance, “seeing it” on the page increasingly made a difference in perception and understanding of “alien” areas of the city or foreign and forbidding districts.

Seeing photojournalism drew readers closer to bearing witness as they were happening to important contemporary events both sightly and disturbing which needed to be rccorded and displayed. .

Active children posing and mugging for the camera and portraits of fresh looking and attractive youthful girls conveyed a familiarity, intimacy, and humanity to life on the streets in contrast to linear columns of print and the terse captions framing the picture. bjb